Ikpi people
The Ikpi people are a group of related indigenous ethnic groups in central Seleya, especially Saridan, Aldegar and Alduria. Although there are a number of commonalities between Ikpis, there is also a great diversity among different communities and societies, each with its own mixture of cultures, customs and languages. Today, most Ikpi people have adopted the culture of their home nation to a certain extent. Consequently, many speak Canrillaise, Duntrekaans, Aldegarian or Luthorian. History The Ikpi people have inhabited central Seleya, in modern day Aldegar, since between 60,000 and 55,000 BCE. It isn't known exactly how or when they arrived on the continent but most academics agree that they were among Seleya's earliest inhabitants. Although in the past academics believed that Ikpis were native to the continent, the majority of contemporary anthropologists and linguistics agree that they arrived from Temania. In the past, academics such as Wakman Khalol had proposed that Ikpis were distantly related to the Ezadi peoples but dispersed due to some change in conditions in Seleya at the time and became differentiated as a result. Culture There are notable cultural divisions between Ikpi people because they are not a homogeneous group. Nonetheless, centuries of living within similar environments and being exposed to neighbouring groups has led to many similar traditions and customs developing between the various Ikpi groups. Additionally, most modern Ikpi people have integrated into the customs of the nations in which they reside, chiefly Saridan, Aldegar and Alduria. Traditionally, the Ikpi were savannah or jungle dwellers who lived in small semi-nomadic villages. Most were a peaceful tribes or clans that rarely engaged in warfare due to the mutual need to intermarry amongst different groups. Because of this, the Ikpo practiced great exogamy which kept the clans relatively peaceful nearly all of the time. The practiced a form of agriculture growing rather primitive rices, yams, tubers, and fruits in which they rarely traded with other major indigenous groups on the continent. The reason may have been the near impassibility of the many jungles and savannahs of the middle of Seleya for trade routes and the relative unsophisticated nature of the Ikpi. The major cultural feature that is different than that of the mainstream cultures of their nations is Ikpi religious practices. Frequently, the Ikpi people were persecuted throughout their history. In Saridan, for example, the Ikpi were specifically targeted by the newly-arrived ethnic-Canrillaişe and later Duntrekkers from Artania who coveted their land and wished to exploit the natural resources found there. Later, they were denied citizenship rights in various countries. Despite this treatment, the Ikpi people tend to be very generous and warm. Many account these actions to their deep Yazda religious faith and its teachings of good versus evil. Music and dance For centuries, music has played a crucial role in the lives of Ikpi people. Over time, numerous distinct traditions developed and the style of music varied significantly between groups. Nonetheless, there are common themes and styles; notably the development of instruments found nowhere else on Terra. The didjeridu and clapsticks are two common Ikpi instruments both created using wood from the dense rainforests inhabited by early Ikpis. Instruments such as these would be decorated with images of flowers, lizards, birds and other plant or animal life. Songs would often focus on the history of a clan, trive or family and act as one manner of preserving the traditions of a group. Birh-ma is a term given to Ikpi performing arts. Birh-ma, meaning literally "to dance slapping thighs", involves several different performances which vary somewhat between different Ikpi groups. The menyin, properly known as the menyin bornhborn-na or literally "fight dance", is the most well known of these performances due its adoption by several prominent sports teams. Originally developed to intimidate the opposition prior to a fight or conflict, menyin are now used for a plethora of purposes such as to welcome foreign dignitaries. In the course of a menyin, performers will employ a variety of actions to attempt to assert the dominance of their group over the perceived enemy, such as stomping of the feet, slapping the hands against the body, chanting and grunting. Religion Before the common era, most Ikpi peoples adhered to some form of animism. Early Ikpi belief systems were based heavily on oral tradition, being passed down from one generation to the next through word of mouth. Although there was significant diversity between tribes and groups, most featured ancestral spirits, such as the "Coloured Snake" and "Sky Man", and a belief that they once inhabited the earth during a period of time known as the "Spirit-time". Sometime near the beginning of the common era, these traditional belief systems were replaced almost completely with Yazdism, specifically Zamânism. The exact causes for this mass conversion isn't known completely however historians note the perceived similarity between these traditional beliefs and the principles of Zamânism, which places an emphasis on living in peace. The dichotomy of Light and Darkness (or Good and Evil) within the religion mirrors similar ideas in numerous traditional Ikpi belief systems. Recently, scholars such as Pinjarra Enoka and Harakoke Kingi have argued the relationship between Zamânism and the traditional beliefs of the Ikpi was more complex than the former simply supplanting the latter. In her book Ikpi Religion and Mythology, Kingi highlights the difference between contemporary Zamânism and the faith as it was practised prior to the exposure of it to Ikpis. She suggests that these changes were at least partly caused by the religion's fusion with native Ikpi beliefs. When modern-day Duntrekker people arrived in Saridan, they brought Hosianism, Amelioratism in particular, with them. As a result, some Ikpis converted to the faith throughout the 19th and 20th century. With that said, the number of Hosian Ikpis accounts for a tiny percentage of the population compared with Zamânism. Art Ikpi art has traditions which are thousands of years old. The most well-known form of traditional Ikpi art are the cave paintings which can still be seen throughout the rainforests of Saridan today. Some pieces are among the oldest known pieces of artwork in history being dated as early as 50,000 BCE and providing crucial evidence of the existence of early Ikpi people in central Seleya. Similarly, cave engravings are another example of traditional Ikpi art, though this custom developed much later than paintings. Certain Ikpi groups are also known for their intricate carvings, done in three primary mediums: wood, bone and stone. The latter are specific to the Ikpi people who inhabit present-day Aldegar. Category:Ethnic groups Category:Demographics of Aldegar Category:Demographics of Alduria Category:Demographics of Saridan